Metro Guard Mosquito Information

Dengue (DEN-ghee)

Dengue [DEN-ghee] is a flu-like viral disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal, complication of dengue.  Dengue occurs in most tropical areas of the world. Most U.S. cases occur in travelers returning from abroad, but the dengue risk is increasing for persons living along the Texas-Mexico border and in other parts of the southern United States.

There is no specific treatment for dengue. Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever are caused by any of the Dengue family of viruses. Infection with one virus does not protect a person against infection with another.  Dengue is spread by the bite of an Aedes mosquito. The mosquito transmits the disease by biting an infected person and then biting someone else. Dengue viruses occur in most tropical areas of the world. Dengue is common in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Australia, and the Americas. It is widespread in the Caribbean basin.

Dengue is most common in cities but can be found in rural areas. It is rarely found in mountainous areas above 4,000 feet.  The mosquitoes that transmit dengue live among humans and breed in discarded tires, flower pots, old oil drums, and water storage containers close to human dwellings. Unlike the mosquitoes that cause malaria, dengue mosquitoes bite during the day.  Most dengue infections result in relatively mild illness, but some can progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever.